


Angora

by dwarrowdams



Series: Eadgyd, But Not Sad [10]
Category: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Animals, Gen, Rabbits
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:08:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27360052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dwarrowdams/pseuds/dwarrowdams
Summary: Eadgyd purchases some angora rabbits for her farmstead and meets a lady of interest.
Series: Eadgyd, But Not Sad [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1877335
Kudos: 2
Collections: All the Eadgyd All the Time





	Angora

**Author's Note:**

> Oh gosh, this piece has been done for ages, but in the midst of Tolkientober, I didn't get around to posting it until now.
> 
> A couple things to know before reading: angora rabbits are the super floofy ones. The ones in this fic are the Middle-earth version of French or English angoras, since they don't produce as much wool but also don't need to be shorn (sheared?), as you can just pluck them by hand or brush them.
> 
> Still, rabbits can shed quite a lot (you should see my bun Gatsby when it's her molting season—she constantly has fur coming off of her and she's not even an angora), so it's plausible that three angoras could make a decent amount of wool.

Eadgyd walked into the market not long after the sun had risen, glad that she’d had the foresight to bring a scarf along on her trip to Dale. She liked going to the market early in the day: everyone was in better spirits and she could bring Cassia along without worrying for the rabbit’s safety. There were a few other shoppers perusing the wares, but otherwise, the streets were much emptier than they were later in the day.

“Plenty of space to hop, hmm?” Eadgyd said to Cassia. 

The rabbit rushed forwards and leapt into the air before she stopped, her eyes wide and her ears forward.

Eadgyd tensed. When Cassia became alert like that, it normally meant that there was something deserving of her attention. “What is it, Cass?” she said. “Is something wrong?”

Cassia shook her head slightly before hopping towards one of the merchant stalls. Eadgyd followed, wondering what had captured Cassia’s attention, when she saw that the merchant had an enclosure full of rabbits beside their stall.

“So that’s why you were so curious,” Eadgyd said. “You smelled other rabbits, hmm?”

Cassia looked up at her mistress briefly before hopping towards the cages, rising onto her hind legs to inspect the other rabbits.

Eadgyd turned her attention to the merchant, who was watching Cassia curiously. “Smart rabbit you’ve got there,” they said, tucking a strand of dark hair into their braid.

“Oh, she’s brilliant,” Eadgyd replied, beaming with pride. “She’s half Rhosgobel.”

The merchant whistled under their breath. “No wonder. There’s something about her eyes that’s different than the wild rabbits,” they said. “My angoras aren’t nearly that bright, but you’d be hard pressed to find a better source of wool.”

“Angoras?” Eadgyd asked as she turned her attention to the rabbits. They had far more fur than any rabbit she’d ever seen and came in a variety of blacks, browns, and whites. Eadgyd was pleased to see that the rabbits all looked content and that their fur was free of mats and clumps: a sign that they were well cared for.

“Aye,” the merchant said. “Tis a lesser known purpose of keeping rabbits, but there are some who take their fur and spin it into yarn or cloth, and a few who will sell the wool by itself. They need grooming more than rabbits with shorter coats, but the wool can fetch a fine price.”

“Hmm,” Eadgyd murmured. “Can you show me some of this wool?”

The merchant nodded and reached beneath the stall, producing a skein of white, fluffy-looking wool. “Have a feel of it,” they said.

Eadgyd reached out to touch it with her good hand, marveling at how soft it was. She’d seen some shops in Dale selling clothing made of a fabric like this, but the prices were far more than she was willing to pay. Based on the fineness of the wool, the rabbits wouldn’t be cheap, but they could help the farm to turn a profit in case of another poor harvest.

And, on a less practical note, Eadgyd could finally have clothing made of angora wool. She wasn’t sure how it would hold up to adventuring, but she imagined it would be excellent for keeping warm while at home.

She felt the wool once more, rubbing it between her fingers. “Did you spin this yourself?” she asked.

The merchant nodded. “I’m a cloth merchant by trade—Astrith, a woman of the Lake,” she introduced herself.

“Eadgyd the Sad,” Eadgyd said as she shook Astrith’s hand. “A pleasure.”

Astrith seemed surprised by Eadgyd’s moniker, but didn’t inquire further. “Glad to meet you as well,” she said. “My family has been in the cloth trade for many years, but this is the first time we’ve taken our angoras to market. There’s been a growing demand for their wool and we had far more rabbits than we needed anyways.”

Eadgyd leaned forward to inspect the angoras. “Are they especially difficult to care for?” she asked.

“For one, they’re much more delicate than your rabbit,” Astrith said, gesturing to Cassia, who had lost interest in the angoras and was cleaning herself. “You’ll need to keep them indoors and make sure they’re fed and watered daily and groomed thrice a week, since it’s easy for their fur to get tangled.”

Eadgyd nodded. “I’ve helped care for another rabbit—my sister has one as a pet—so I know a bit of rabbit care, aside from how to groom an angora.”

“Excellent,” Astrith said, grinning. “That means I can give you all the details on grooming them.”

Eadgyd listened intently as Astrith gave her the details of grooming an angora, from what tools to use to what they should eat to maintain a healthy coat. As she listened, Eadgyd made a mental note of the additional tools she’d need to care for the rabbits. Her initial assumption that the up-front investment would be costly was correct, but Astrith’s instructions also assured her that the costs would pay off quickly.

“Well, you’ve more than convinced me,” Eadgyd said. “I’ll take three of the brown ones.”

“Good choice,” Astrith said. “That’ll be four gold pieces.”

Eadgyd’s eyebrows furrowed. She may have her own home and a bit of wealth, but a few years of prosperity couldn’t undo a lifetime of haggling. “Could you go a bit lower?” she asked. “My farmstead fell on difficult times this year and I lost a good bit of coin making up for the losses.”

Astrith nodded and immediately gave Eadgyd a more reasonable number that was still higher than what Eadgyd wanted to pay. She chewed her lower lip, wondering how much lower she could go without offending Astrith.

“If I bring you fresh eggs and some herbs of your choosing, would you be able to sell for two gold and ten silver?” she asked. “I might have had difficulty with the vegetables this year, but the herbs came in nicely, especially the rosemary and lavender.”

Astrid hesitated for a moment, mulling over the offer before she nodded. “Bring me a bundle each of the rosemary and lavender, plus some mint if you have it. Along with the eggs, of course.”

“Very well,” Eadgyd said. “Is it all right if I leave Cassia here? That way, you’ll know I’ll be back soon.”

“Yes, but only if I can give her a bit of carrot,” Astrid replied. “I brought too much for the angoras and I’d rather not have to eat the rest myself.”

At the mention of carrots, Cassia snapped to attention, her eyes darting between Eadgyd and Astrith to figure out who had the carrot.

Eadgyd laughed at Cassia’s reaction. “Of course,” she said. “My carrots didn’t fare well this year, so she’ll be glad for the treat.”

She reached down to pet Cassia, instructing the rabbit to wait with Astrith. Cassia looked reluctant to follow the instruction, but she obliged, remaining at the stall as Eadgyd returned to the inn to obtain the promised items, grateful that she’d brought more than she needed to sell.

She returned to the market several minutes later, carrying a basket that held half a dozen fresh eggs and the promised herbs. “There you are,” she said.

Astrith inspected the goods, tucking them beneath her stall. “These look to be fine herbs,” she said. “Do you mind if I put the rabbits right into your basket?”

“Of course not,” Eadgyd said. She took off her scarf and tucked it in the basket so that the rabbits would have something soft beneath them.

Astrith took three brown angoras from the enclosure and set them gently in the basket, whispering softly to them to soothe their nerves. To Eadgyd’s surprise, she placed a few carrots in the basket as well.

“For the angoras and for Cassia,” she clarified. “And because you have lovely eyes.”

Eadgyd bit her lip to hide her grin. “Thank you kindly,” she said. “Send word if you are ever in Dale again. I suspect that this is not the last time I will do business with you.”

She smirked a little to hint that the exchange of goods wasn’t the only kind of business she was interested in doing with Astrith.

“Gladly,” Astrith said, winking. “Always glad to sell to a lovely woman who knows how to care for rabbits properly.”

Eadgyd nodded. “They will have a good home with me,” she assured Astrith. “I may live near Dale now, but I am still a Beorning, and we care for animals as though they were our own kin.”

Astrith’s eyebrows shot up. “Then I am glad the angoras found their way to you,” she said. “Your kin have a way of making all manner of creatures eat from the palm of your hand.”

Eadgyd flushed slightly. “I’ve had plenty of practice—and gentle fingers,” she said, a hint of seduction slipping into her voice. “That does tend to make it easier.”

“Oh, I’m sure it does,” Astrith said, fluttering her eyelashes a bit. “If you ever have need of assistance—with the angoras or with other matters—I come to market in Dale at least once a season.”

“Then I will watch for you,” Eadgyd said as she picked up the basket. “May the rest of your angoras find good homes.”

Astrith nodded. “Farwell, Eadgyd and Cassia,” she said, waving to both of them. “I hope our paths cross again soon.”

Eadgyd smiled, raising a hand in farewell, before setting off towards home. Once she was away from the stall, Cassia nudged her boot and danced around her legs.

“Still happy about that carrot, hmm?” Eadgyd said.

Cassia made a contented humming noise before rising up onto her hind legs, looking curiously up at Eadgyd.

“Is this about me flirting with Astrith?” Eadgyd asked. “Don’t tell me you’re jealous already.”

Cassia shook her head before running in a circle around Eadgyd’s legs, finishing with a small dance.

“Oh, you’re glad for me?” Eadgyd said. “In that case, I hope we’re able to visit her again soon.”

Cassia danced again, although Eadgyd didn’t know if it was out of excitement for Eadgyd’s new connection or the prospect of more carrots.

“Come on, Cass,” Eadgyd said, gesturing to the rabbit to follow her. “We’d better get you back to the inn before the streets get more crowded—I don’t want anyone stepping on you by mistake.”

Cassia shook her ears defiantly and quickened her pace, clearly eager to get away from careless feet and into a warm room with carrots.

**Author's Note:**

> You will definitely be seeing more of Astrith later. *wink wink*
> 
> Please comment if you enjoyed this!
> 
> Tumblr: dwarrowdams  
> Twitter: @_tenderqueer


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